


By Your Smile

by runicmagitek



Category: Cowboy Bebop
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Domestic Fluff, Drabble Sequence, F/M, Fix-It, Mild Hurt/Comfort, On the Run, Post-Canon, Romance, Sexual Content, Starting Over, Treat, Triple Drabble
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2018-07-14
Packaged: 2019-06-10 12:08:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 2,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15291210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/runicmagitek/pseuds/runicmagitek
Summary: She thought she'd never see him again. Now they can fulfill their promise of running away together. Somewhere no one will find them—somewhere they'll finally be at peace.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pessi_mista](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pessi_mista/gifts).



Rain barraged the world, slicked the drab architecture, and pooled in dips and cracks. The storm clouds blotted out the pristine skies with no promise of either the sun or moon. All of it was but a blip in the back of Julia’s mind as she sprinted past puddles and bullets alike.

Her heart rattled in her chest—a constant reminder that she was still alive. Gulping down moist air, she focused her attention on the only one that mattered anymore. So long as Spike moved, she followed. Her body could burn and plead for stillness, but not now. Not until they reached haven—or something resembling it.

She whipped around to fire her pistol at their pursuers with no steady aim, but with vengeful intent. Some shrieked, blood spurting from fresh wounds before they keeled over. The rest fired upon her and Spike. Bullets flashed by and kissed her skin like the crack of a whip. She staggered and clutched her arm and torso.

Her hesitance garnered Spike’s attention. Eyes wide, he rushed back to her. “Julia!”

“Keep going!” she yelled back, picking up the pace again. “Don’t let me hold us up.”

But he stilled his steps until she joined him, then linked his arm around her shoulders and urged them forward. “Like hell I’m going to take a chance on losing you again!”

Julia longed to smile at that. When they were free from the rain, free from potential threats, and free from the Syndicate... then she would smile and never stop. All for the man beside her.

It had always been for him, anyways.

Until then, she licked her lips, ignored the biting pain, and matched Spike’s pace. Away from the horror, away from here and... well, to anywhere. As long as it was with him.


	2. Chapter 2

The doused roads reflected the myriad city lights like a kaleidoscope. Vehicles zoomed by without a care in the world while space vessels prepared to venture past the stars. They wove through the thick crowds, slowing from a sprint to a brisk walk to not draw further attention. Spike tightened his grip around her—to keep her close, to hide her from those hunting them down, to remind her this wasn’t a dream.

She suppressed a hysterical laugh; it hadn’t been that long ago since they planned to run off together. _Don_ _’t be selfish_ , she corrected herself. _He has a new life and purpose now. It_ _’s just a matter of squeezing into that equation, I guess._

But they never returned to the Swordfish II or the Bebop. Spike led her to a shuttle station, quietly purchased two tickets, and headed to a docked train.

“Where are we going?” Julia asked once seated in the back with him.

“Where do you think?”

His voice was gentle and calm, quite the contrast to the cocky man she fell in love with—a side he reserved for Julia. Memories of lazy Sunday mornings in bed surfaced to mind, all with that exact voice teasing her.

“Away from here?” she murmured, resting her head upon his shoulder to watch the cityscape give way to whatever natural landscape remained.

He hummed and squeezed her. The pressure rippled to her injuries, which evoked his attention. Blood oozed from her side and bicep, akin to a bad paper cut than a fatal wound.

Spike’s jaw dropped. “Are you—”

“I’m fine,” she reassured and nuzzled back into him. “I’m with you. That’s all that matters.”

A short-lived smirk tugged at his lips. “Yeah. And I’m right here.”

Julia intertwined her fingers with his. “As am I.”


	3. Chapter 3

She stirred in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar room. Sun spilled in from a cracked window, a gentle breeze playing with the lace curtains. Julia groaned and forced herself to seated. A fierce pain pulsed in her head.

“Hey, take it easy.”

Lolling her head to the side, she found Spike sitting on the edge beside her. He donned fresh clothes and a brilliant smile.

“You were a bit dehydrated and passed out the second we got here.” He pressed the back of his hand into her forehead and cheeks. “Was a hectic trip, after all. At least it’s done.”

Her eyes adjusted to the small room. “Where is here?”

“Nowhere special.”

She mirrored his smile. “Sounds like a place I could get used to.”

Spike chuckled. “Thought you wouldn’t argue with that. Once you get your energy back, we can find a place of our own. Settle in, live life the way we want to.” His eyes softened, marked with a drop of sadness. “Start over together.”

“But....” Julia furrowed her brow, lips curved downward. “What about the Bebop? What about—”

“None of that matters. Not anymore.” He leaned in, his warm lips finding a home on her forehead. “Only you, Julia.”

She tilted her head up enough to bump noses with him. His anxious breath tickled her lips. She had forgotten what he smelled like, what he felt like. It set her senses ablaze with long forgotten memories until Julia roared like a wildfire. Only Spike could come close to calming that insatiable desire.

“I love you,” he breathed out to her. “I never stopped loving you, Julia”

Her lips parted; she wished for nothing but to drown in him. Before melting in a deep, burning kiss, she whispered, “I’d rather die than never have you again.”


	4. Chapter 4

They needed sleep more than anything. A hot shower, maybe, but after countless hours of traveling, the lull was a much needed reprieve. And yet when Spike closed the door in yet another rented lodge, he embraced Julia from behind and refused to let go.

She gasped. Her back crashed and melted into his. Curious hands roamed her body before caressing her breasts. Julia closed her eyes and arched her back into him, leaving her neck exposed for his tender kisses.

Every ounce of her missed this—the attention, the shared intimacy, the notion she wasn't alone. And when she turned into Spike and opened her mouth to him, sleep was the last activity on her mind.

Discarded clothes lined the way to the bedroom. Through the sparse lighting, thanks to the street lamps and passing cars, they rediscovered one another with kisses, needy grasps, and moans. They entwined themselves in the sheets and each other. Julia hooked her arms around Spike, gulping down sweet air in between those decadent kisses. Their eyes met briefly—words weren’t necessary to express what resided in their hearts.

Moans poured out from her with each rapid thrust. She cradled his head, squeezed her thighs around him, and begged him not to stop. For all she knew, they got by on borrowed time and all of it would slip away when she woke at sunrise.

When sheer ecstasy flooded her body, when his name was but a squeak on her screaming lips, when their labored breaths and racing pulses thrummed in harmony, when neither loosened their embrace, when Julia fell asleep nestled against her lover... she never wanted it to end.

Even upon waking next to Spike, she hugged him close and silently promised him to never leave him again. No matter what happened.


	5. Chapter 5

Soft kisses along her neck roused Julia from slumber. A curious hand skimmed the length of her body, lingering at her bare breasts. She stretched, only to rub against a rather prominent bulge behind her. 

“We have an early ride to catch,” she whispered, her voice trailing off into moans when he teased a nipple.

“Guess I’ll have to make it quick,” Spike groaned.

Julia swore he grinned into her neck. Truth be told, so was she. _Of course you_ _’d see this as a challenge of sorts,_ she opted to keep to herself. He rocked his hips into her rear, caressed the sensitive nook of her neck with an insistent tongue, and wandered down the front of her body until he found a home between her legs. 

She squirmed and whimpered, latching onto his wrist to pin him in place. Spike chuckled.

“Just like that?”

Julia bit her lower lip and nodded. How many nights had she tried to mimic his deft fingers stroking her clit and pretend it was him? They didn’t need to pretend anymore. It was all real: the constant kisses, the diligent stroking, the eventual thrusts into her warm, wet folds, the heavy panting in her ear. Even after the years apart, he still knew what made her quiver with delight.

What wasn’t there to love? Her only complaint was all the blissful sensations came to an end. 

Sweat glistened over their bodies. Julia’s thighs twitched in the afterglow. She basked in the lingering vibrations until she found stillness.

Catching her breath, Julia licked her lips and peeked back to an equally exhausted Spike. “Think we can still catch our ride?”

“Might be something of a long shot, but if we don’t,” he said before kissing her, “no reason we can’t have a repeat performance.”


	6. Chapter 6

Songbirds and freshly fallen summer rain pried Julia from a peaceful slumber. She stretched, rolled over, and smiled; Spike slept beside her, mouth ajar and face half buried in a pillow. Tucking blonde locks behind her ears, she kissed his temple and slipped out of bed.

Bare feet met with old, wooden floorboards. The house they found tucked in the corner of the world needed work, yet remained rustic and quaint. It was safe, quiet, and above all, it was theirs.

Julia scooped up Spike’s button-down shirt from the floor and slipped it on. Once she acquired fresh coffee, Julia propped open the bedroom window to curl up in it—one leg to her chest and the other dangling as she basked in nature waking up. An old tune vibrated on her lips all the while.

The sun flooded the room and illuminated her blonde hair like a halo. By then, tired footsteps inched towards her until lips kissed her neck.

She wrinkled her nose and giggled. “Hey.”

Spike nuzzled into her cheek. “I could get used to waking up to you like this.”

“That so?”

He pawed at the open shirt she wore. “Mmhmm.”

“Good. I could get used to it myself.” She turned to kiss his nose. “Coffee’s still hot.”

“Not interested right now.”

He embraced Julia and she purred. Together they witnessed the subtleties of the world, aspects they never paid attention to until now. How could they when they rushed by without the thought of slowing down? Her only worries now were refilling an empty mug and putting pants on at some point.

But every day she woke beside Spike was a reminder it was all worth it. The secrecy, the heartache, the lies... all for this. Julia didn’t need to dream anymore.

She could live.


	7. Chapter 7

She forgot how much she missed it—a quiet, functional kitchen all to herself. No one to pester her, no agenda to deter her from a secret indulgence. There was something meditative about creating something from seemingly random ingredients. For far too long, Julia survived off of powdered soy imitations. Rip open a bag, add water, and consume. Enough to calm her stomach, enough to live to see another day.

But she didn’t need to get by on mere survival anymore.

With fresh coffee made, she rummaged the kitchen for skillets and utensils. The fridge was stocked mostly with Spike’s beer, but there was enough to improvise with. Bacon sizzled, eggs cracked, and Julia hummed.

“Wow, what’s all this?”

Julia smirked; this type of pestering she could handle. “What does it look like?”

“Like a whole lot of work.”

She chuckled as Spike embraced her, perching his chin upon her shoulder to watch. “It’s just breakfast.”

“ _Just_ breakfast?”

“It’s been so long since I’ve cooked for myself... for the two of us. Nothing special, but—”

Spike swiped a piece of bacon cooling off on a plate and shoved it in his mouth.

“They’re not for eating now,” she tried to scold him, but a giggle laced within her words.

“Hey, it’s going to get eaten eventually!”

“But I wanted to have it all— _hey_!”

She swatted his hand away from the bacon, yet he still stole another piece. Julia swirled around to catch him grinning and chewing.

“Did you forget I’m a bottomless pit?”

A tender smile graced her lips. “How could I ever forget?”

Spike eased in to kiss the tip of her nose. “I almost forgot.”

“What?”

A hint of sadness colored his face, yet that smile never faded.

“What it’s like to have an actual good meal.”


	8. Chapter 8

The house was bare bones when they stumbled upon it. Perhaps it dissuaded potential buyers, but it was a foundation they could build upon—make it their own. Sometimes Julia forgot that much, beyond used to staying in a different hotel every night, sometimes even in a back alley if it promised her safety.

She now found luxury in the smallest of items: scented soaps that reminded her of the ocean she hadn’t seen in years; handmade, woven blankets instead of a factory produced duplicates; multiple, ceramic mugs. There was also comfort in aspects she had learned to live without: closets, multiple pillows, actual coffee, and locked doors.

 _It_ _’s safe here_ , Julia told herself every waking moment, whether busying herself in the local market or jolting awake with a gasp in the dead of night. _We_ _’re okay. We don’t have to worry._

Adjusting was shaky at best, but at least Spike was there. He never questioned her peculiar habits—not the paranoid glances, not the tears at midnight. Always the optimist.

She couldn’t help but smile and laugh for him. Perhaps that was his intent whenever toxic thoughts festered within.

“We don’t need this,” she said when Spike brought home an antique radio.

“Nah, but I know you’d want it. Besides, I heard something in one of the shops and it convinced me to get it for you.”

“For me?”

After tinkering with the damn thing for an hour, Spike brought it to life and tuned to a particular station.

Soft jazz filled the air—the exact melodies she grew up with.

Julia already hummed with the piano. “You didn’t have to do this.”

Spike swept her into his arms and swayed with Julia in a slow dance. “Yeah, I know.” Their foreheads met. “But I wanted to.”


	9. Chapter 9

“Do you ever miss it?”

Spike tilted his head to her. “Miss what?”

“Being out there with the stars?”

They reclined on the roof of their home on a clear summer’s night. Fireflies blinked in and out of the sky while nocturnal critters chirped in the distance. All the while, countless stars scattered across the sky. Julia had never seen anything like it. The city’s light pollution blotted out the skies, depriving many of the spectacle that hung above every night.

She pried her eyes away from the lovely sight and gazed at Spike. Silence lingered between them until he rolled over onto his side.

“Parts of it, yeah,” he offered, “but I guess it was a distraction—to get away from the life I had before. I tried to forget, but....” He smirked and brushed a hand over her cheek. “You’re a hard lady to forget.”

“I’d hate to keep you from something you actually enjoyed, though.”

A hearty laugh spilled forth from Spike. “Nah. I know this might not be the life we expected to live together, but I’d take it a thousand times if it meant I’d never lose you again. And wherever you are?” He leaned in, bumped noses with her, and whispered upon her lips, “That’s where I want to be. Home is where you are, Julia. I don’t want anything else.”

Julia lost herself in those tender eyes consuming her. “I only want you to be happy, Spike.”

“I am. Are you?”

She slid an arm around his neck. Spike shifted to loom above her, their legs intertwined and their hips gently met.

“Always,” she purred.

He opened his mouth to her and Julia eagerly accepted, something slow, yet brimming with intensity. And every kiss was a subtle reminder of their warm, undying love.


End file.
